OVP: Subpoena issued to its officials ‘invalid’

FILE PHOTO VP Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday said the subpoena issued against its officials to appear before a House of Representatives probe into its budget utilization is “invalid” as it was set for a hearing on a different date.

The OVP referred to the subpoena issued by the House good government and public accountability committee on Oct. 17 against seven OVP officials after they refused to attend the hearing. They again opted to skip the inquiry on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“The OVP asserts that the subpoena issued by the honorable members of the House panel is not valid,” the OVP’s statement read.

The OVP said the subpoena issued for a hearing on Oct. 28 was only transmitted to the agency on Nov. 4.

“As the said subpoena issued by the honorable committee bears the information that it was issued for a past October 28, 2024 hearing schedule—which was also reset—it would be improper to receive the same; thus, there was no subpoena for the schedule proceedings on November 5, 2024,” it explained.

“Given these circumstances, the subpoena issued to OVP executives can no longer be legally served nor obeyed as the scheduled hearing date of October 28, 2024, was reset until further notice in an earlier notice given,” it added.

The OVP also cited Section 8 of the Rules Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, which states that a subpoena shall be served to a witness at least three days before a scheduled hearing to allow the witness to prepare and to employ counsel.

The OVP reiterated that the ongoing inquiry by the House panel is “unnecessary and plagued with irregularities.”

According to the OVP, the congressional probe is not in aid of legislation as it “lacks clear legislative objectives or contemplated legislation that is expected as an outcome of the deliberations.”

READ: Sara Duterte to skip ‘unnecessary’ House probe into OVP funds